Philip Green 'was Everton shadow director' claims MP Chris Matheson during football governance debateEverton season-ticket holder Matheson said Philip Green met with former Blues manager and chief executiveSir Philip Green has today been accused of once being a shadow director of Everton .
The allegation was made by Chris Matheson MP, Labour MP for Chester, who was speaking in a Culture, Media and Sport Committee on the governance of football.
Addressing Greg Clarke, chairman of the Football Association, Everton season-ticket holder Matheson brought up the subject of "offshore entities" involved with football clubs.
During the exchange he claimed that Green, who is facing calls to be stripped of his Knighthood following the collapse of one of his former businesses BHS, summoned a club chief executive and former manager to his offices to hold talks over the club's transfers.
Matheson said: "I understand that Sir Philip Green had something of a role of shadow director at Everton, including having PWC (accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Cooper) conduct an audit of the club and summoning the chief executive and the team manager to BHS headquarters to discuss transfer budgets.
"If someone has paid for some shares through someone else and through an entity in the British Virgin Islands, but isn't a director, would that a problem?"
Chris Matheson, MP for Chester, is an Everton supporter
The club have always denied having any undue involvement with Green, and at a General Meeting in November 2015 chief executive Robert Elstone rebuked a question on the matter.
He said: "Those questions were wrong and shouldn’t be asked. To repeatedly be asked about where we lend from and where Philip Green is in all this is just wrong.”
Matheson also quizzed Clarke over the specifics of two off-shore companies he said had links with Everton.
"Do you know who or what is Vibrac?" he said.
"Do you know who or what is BCR Sports?"
"Vibrac is an offshore entity....which I believe provided finance to Everton , West Ham, Fulham, Reading and Southampton.
"And I understand it has provided £150m worth of finance to European clubs, including those clubs I just stated, in 2013.
"And I believe Vibrac is registered in the British Virgin Islands. Does it ring any bells?"
Moving the conversation back to BCR Sports, Matheson added: "Until March 2016, Robert Earl was a director of Everton - and I should say I am a season ticket holder at Everton - declared 23% of the ownership at Everton through BCR Sports, registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Actor Sylvester Stallone chats with Robert Earl (l) at Goodison Park, as Everton Chairman Bill Kenwright (r) looks on
"However, a previous director and, in fact, the previous owner of those shares, Paul Gregg, says he wasn't paid for those shares that were transferred to Robert Earl , by Robert Earl or even by BCR Sports ... by Sir Phillip Green who was not registered as a director at Everton.
"And I understand that Sir Philip Green had something of a role of shadow director at Everton, including having PWC conduct an audit of the club and summoning the chief executive and the team manager to BHS headquarters to discuss transfer budgets.
"If someone has paid for some share through someone else and through an entity in the British Virgin Islands, but isn't a director, would that a problem?"
In response Clarke said he was unaware of both Vibrac and BCR Sports.
Liv Echo
